Dear Parents and Students,
Congratulations on the successful completion of another school year! The students have been working hard, practicing all those little things that adults take for granted, such as reading, writing, adding, subtracting, illustrating, designing, and navigating the ins and outs of friendship. Their brains and bodies need a good stretch of summer days filled with sunshine, idle dreaming, and time to play. As much as possible, I hope your family will find time and opportunities to relax and enjoy some summer fun with friends and family. But please don’t forget Summer Homework!
Research shows that children often forget what they have learned if they don’t continue to practice their academic skills over the summer. It is my personal experience that small but steady doses of daily academics make a significant difference when September rolls around. Third Grade is when students take a leap forward in learning new content and developing new skills. In addition, the quantity and expected quality of their work will grow. Preparing for Grade Three, therefore, should begin by early July and include consistent practice in reading, writing, and math.
Sincerely,
Grade 3 Lead Teacher
We’re proud to introduce IXL Learning, an online learning platform we’ll be using to support students’ continued academic growth in a flexible and personalized way.
What is IXL?
With IXL, your child can access Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies, & Spanish as a World Language skills at their "just right level" for the ultimate personalized learning experience. *including full audio in English & Spanish (PK-12)
With thousands of engaging and adaptive content, your child can keep learning all summer long at their own pace at home and on the go.
Why IXL for Summer Learning?
IXL offers many valuable highlights for our students, including:
Personalized skill plans based on your child’s most recent NWEA MAP Growth RIT scores
Student summary reports
Access to over 17,000 skills across subjects
Adaptive practice that adjusts to support or challenge each student as needed
Alignments with NYS Next Generation Learning Standards (PK–12)
Translations available in 80+ languages for Math, Science, and Social Studies
Engaging learning tools, including games and instructional videos
College entrance test prep opportunities
Real-time insights for teachers to monitor student progress and guide at-home support
How Do I Get Started?
Read the IXL Family Guide, which provides a quick tour of IXL and shows you easy, effective ways to get your child engaged and learning.
Families should have received a welcome email from IXL with a username and password. Sign in with your username and password at www.ixl.com/signin/kewforest. Your child can work from a computer or tablet—anywhere with internet access. Please ask your child’s division head if you don't know this information.
Explore skills on the MAP personalized study plan.
Choose a skill and let the learning begin!
We encourage you to have your child spend a little time each week on IXL this summer to keep their learning fresh and stay confident for the upcoming school year.
As you make choices for read-alouds this summer, please consider choosing books from our booklist suggestions. You could also help your children select books from your own childhood favorites or any age-appropriate books that catch your child’s eye in a library or a bookstore.
Every student will keep a Reader’s Response Journal to continue practicing the comprehension skills and strategies that they have been taught in class when reading and responding to literature.
Reader's Response Journal Expectations:
The Response Journal must contain:
The title and author of each book read aloud
At least one or two responses per book
The Response Journal may contain:
Pictures and words
We have provided a set of reading response questions organized through the lens of the 7 International Baccalaureate Key Concepts: form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective, and responsibility.
The questions challenge students to think critically and reflect on the texts they're reading while encouraging them to make links to different contexts.
Your child has two options for writing and drawing their Reader's Response entries.
On the first day of school, please make sure your child brings in the following:
Completed Reader’s Response Journal
A backpack (clearly labeled with student’s name) that is large enough to accommodate a Homework Folder measuring 9 in. X 12 in.
Official K-F uniform items (clearly labeled with student’s name)
A reusable water bottle (clearly labeled with student’s name)
Please note: All other school materials, such as pencils and notebooks, will be supplied by the school. Please also remember to label all uniform items with your child’s name!